


Pastel Chalk

by roundthecherrytree



Series: Karen does art and Gretchen [2]
Category: Mean Girls - Richmond/Benjamin/Fey
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Artist Karen, F/F, One Shot, gretchen is figuring things out, soft girls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-05-31
Packaged: 2021-03-03 06:15:33
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24480061
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/roundthecherrytree/pseuds/roundthecherrytree
Summary: The three times Gretchen tries figuring it out, and the one time Karen gets fed up.
Relationships: Karen Smith/Gretchen Wieners
Series: Karen does art and Gretchen [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1768237
Kudos: 33





	Pastel Chalk

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to turn this into a series!
> 
> All of these are different scenarios, they don’t connect at all and can be read separately

Karen invited Gretchen over on a warm, sunny Saturday in June. Karen didn’t like to paint alone, she enjoyed having someone to talk to while she painted, and so her chosen person time and time again was Gretchen. Gretchen was touched, _honored_ even, that Karen wanted her around when she was as vulnerable as she was while painting.

Karen never let anything anyone said truly bother her because she knew the rule of two’s was solid reasoning, but her art was special. She would ask Gretchen whether something she drew looked off, how was her shading; did the painting make her _feel_ something?

She marveled at the way Karen worked, stared in awe at her precise brush strokes and her patience when it came to small details, but what Gretchen really couldn’t stop watching was Karen’s face of pure concentration. She would get this adorable crinkle between her eyebrows or chew on the end of her paintbrush or scrunch her nose when she didn’t like something, and Gretchen could not stop staring at her.

Until Karen turned to ask her a question and she saw Gretchen already looking. Gretchen could _feel_ her face heating up and knew she was so busted, but for _what_ she wasn’t sure. “Gretch are you okay? You look a little hot.”

“Yeah it’s a little hot in your room; do you want to take a break and go in the pool?” Gretchen managed to squeak out.

She thought she saw something flash in Karen’s eyes, but as soon as it came it was gone again.

\------------------------------

The pool always turned out to be a difficult time when Karen was there because Karen didn’t know how to swim. Everyone except Gretchen offered multiple times, but Karen shot them down, preferring to just watch from the side and join in on the antics when she could. “Come on please? I’m easily the best swimmer here,” Cady begged “When my parents took me to see the Nile, I took on a crocodile bigger than Damian!”

“Hey!” Damian splashed her.

Seeing that they were getting nowhere, and frankly hot from sitting in the sun with Karen, Gretchen thought _she_ might be able to teach Karen how to swim. She wasn’t exactly the _greatest_ swimmer, which is why she hadn’t offered until now, but she couldn’t imagine Karen would say no to her, and for some reason that thought made her feel content.

“Karen, honey, how would you feel about learning to swim with me? We’ll start slow I promise.” There was one painful second where Gretchen thought Karen might say no while Karen looked at Regina and Janis over Gretchen’s shoulder, but that fear was gone when Karen gave her a cautious yes.

When Karen stood to go though, Gretchen thought she should feel a little bad for the way her eyes traced over Karen in her bikini, but before she could linger on _that_ thought she scrambled up next to Karen and walked with her to the edge of the pool.

Karen, surprisingly, caught on to what Gretchen was teaching her quickly, but she still refused to let go of Gretchen’s biceps. Gretchen found that she didn’t mind, especially when Karen was so close that their bodies were brushing together with every movement and when the setting sun filtered so prettily through her blonde hair.

\------------------------------

Gretchen was sitting with Karen on Regina’s bed while they waited for Regina to come out of the bathroom to show them what she bought. On her phone, Gretchen ignored the ticklish feeling she was getting on her thigh, until it started moving up further. When she looked up, Gretchen found Karen tracing her fingers up and down her leg until finally settling back down at her knee.

“You know Gretch I thought about doing this for a long time, but I think I might finally take the risk” Karen breathed out.

Gretchen could only sit there – completely lost for words – while Karen slid off the bed and dragged her hands up _dangerously_ close to the hem of Gretchen’s, already pretty short, skirt. Karen was so close, Gretchen just wanted her to go a _little_ higher, but then the bathroom door opened and Karen sprung away from her.

Gretchen woke up then in her bed, sweating with one thought.

_Oh fuck._

\------------------------------

There was no easy way to look Karen in the face after that and pretend everything was fine. Gretchen kept just a little more distance from her successfully for a week, trying to ignore the confused glanced and hurt looks Karen would shoot her across the lunch table. Then - that Monday - instead of confusion or hurt, Karen gave her a look of understanding, which scared Gretchen so badly she went to the nurse for the rest of lunch. She felt _too_ much for Karen, and there was no way Karen would _know_ and still want to talk to her, right?

Tuesday, before she took even three steps into the cafeteria, she was being dragged out again by a determined looking Karen. She wasn’t surprised when Karen dragged her into the empty art room; this was Karen’s home court, her safe space. “Gretch..”

Gretchen took a long look at Karen’s pastel chalk covered face, and briefly entertained the idea of reaching up to brush a stroke of blue off her cheek. Instead, she prepared herself for the sting of rejection that was about to come from Karen’s mouth.

“I know you’re totally heart-eye, kissy face emoji for me, and I wanted you to know that I am for you too.”

Gretchen was almost too stunned to kiss back when Karen kissed her, but the warm feeling that spread through her jolted her back into action and she chased Karen’s lips when she pulled away for air.

By the time they made it back to the cafeteria, both of them were covered in pastel chalk, and sat down to the cheering of their friends. Karen held her hand under the table, while Gretchen put her head on her shoulder.


End file.
